Nice To Meet You
by CaityR
Summary: FitzSimmons oneshot, possibly going to be continued - see author's note at the end. Fitz and Simmons starting on their separate journey's to the SHIELD Academy. A brief look into their home lives (written before season 2 so if more detail was revealed about their past since season 2 then keep in mind that at the point of writing this was just imagination).


Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (c'mon guys the clue is in the title) and so I also do not own FitzSimmons. The title is taken from Taylor Swift's 'Blank Space' because I was going to do a challenge thing with each line from the song being a different aos fic. I don't know whether I will continue it or not - let me know what you think!

"Leopold Fitz, if you don't help me carry these boxes I don't know what I'll do!" A short, rounded lady with delightfully rosy cheeks smiled up the stairs in the vague direction of her son's room. Likely he got distracted by yet another gadget unearthed from beneath his bed. That's a treasure trove she's fairly certain she won't miss cleaning.

Marrianne supposed all children must have their quirks. At least, thanks to this Academy, her child would get the chance to specialise in his, even if it meant him leaving home at the young age of 16. If only his father, Gerald was still around. He gave Leo the tech-skill and could have easily taught him a little longer.

Marrianne was brought out of her ponderings with Leo's voice drifting through the house

"I'm coming Mum". She was back to present day; the day her not-so-little boy leaves the nest.

He stumbled down the stairs, only a tousled mop of ginger curls visible above the heavy box labelled 'projectz'. He carefully placed the box on top of the neatly stacked pile of his belongings in the downstairs corridor and sighed in triumph.

Marrianne smiled with sad fondness at her only child. He caught his Mum's eye and recognised the look from his 11th birthday. He was going to miss his mum, the dependable woman he'd grown up with.

They bundled boxes with various labels into the boot of a waiting taxi and then were driven to the train station.

Thankfully, when they arrived the station wasn't too busy and after a tearful farewell, Leo was sat in his seat ready for his first adventure.

Leo waved out the window and saw his mum smiling back at him as the train driver's gruff voice loudly announced the next stops.

"... Sheffield, Chesterfield and finally arriving at Nottingham"

~oooOOOooo~

A few hours later, in a detached house on the outskirts of Sheffield, Jemma Simmons was saying goodbye to all her pet mice as she laid dust covers over countless beakers filled with liquids every colour of the rainbow.

Deciding what she should pack and what she should leave behind had been a difficult puzzle for Jemma. But like everything else in her life, she was in control and she solved it.

"Jemma dear, if you don't hurry up you'll miss your train" her mother's voice echoed throughout the house.

Jemma responded by taking a last glance around her bedroom. She smiled at the second best periodic table poster her father must have put up to fill the blank space left after she packed her favourite poster. That periodic table had cute cartoons for each element. Posters were one of the first items Jemma packed, along with her sizeable collection of blazers and of course the signed copy of Dorothy Hodgkin's paper on protein crystallography (which she'd won at an international science fair when she was 14 and it had become her prized possession).

Jemma walked down the stairs of her childhood home and was met at the bottom by one of her mother's famous 'bear-hugs'. Her father inevitably joined in and went on to give Jemma the speech she'd treasure forever.

"We are very proud of you Jemma" he began.

"Proud of who you are as well as what you have accomplished. I know your mother has already had a chat with you about the different kinds of people you might meet at this Academy. I also know you're a mighty clever girl so you'll handle them all fine."

David took a pause as he wanted his next statement to be remembered.

"Be you, Jemma. Don't wear a mask. Be you and you will find people like you" Jemma smiled at him and he continued.

"You are not my little Jem-Jem anymore, I have seen you grown into a woman with such a strong heart and a keen mind."

Rachel finished their loving speech "We both know you'll go far, but whatever the distance we will always be your mother and father and we will always be here. So go on this awesome pursuit of knowledge and be excellent. We love you Jemma"

Rachel was the first to break the 'bear-hug'. She wiped her tears and pressed a handkerchief in Jemma's hand as she walked her only daughter out of the door, down the steps and into the waiting taxi.

"Promise you'll call us love, once you have some alone time"

Jemma could only nod in response. She didn't want to leave her parents yet she knew this opportunity would only be offered once. Her father leaned his head through the taxi window and kissed her nose gently. It was their daddy-daughter thing from when she was a baby and he'd kiss her goodnight. It was a good way to end this chapter of her life.

The window rolled up, her view was gone and the taxi sped on its way to the station.

~oooOOOooo~

Jemma had been to Sheffield train station plenty of times before. She thanked the taxi driver as she was handed her backpack and 2 rather large suitcases then wheeled them past the Pumpkin Cafe to read the platform announcements.

Thankfully, her train wasn't due for another 11 minutes, giving her enough time to get to platform 5 without rushing over the stairs. She dragged her belongings onto the platform just as her train pulled in.

~oooOOOooo~

Leo had been the only person in his first class compartment for only 2 stops. His train journey had been the best he'd ever had, and also the longest. Glasgow to Nottingham isn't exactly a short journey. The views had been excellent out his window and his nerves about the near future were overpowered by his excitement.

A/N: The title is taken from Taylor Swift's 'Blank Space' because I was going to challenge myself to write with each line from the song being a different aos fic title. I don't know whether I will continue it or not - let me know what you think!


End file.
